Space, the Final Frontier
by we-are-boldly-going
Summary: Okay, well Jim hadn't meant for this to happen. Somehow when he and Spock were supposed to beam down to Earth they somehow ended up in the year 2012. This is why you never trust the Captain. Star Trek AU. Could be some Kirk/Spock


**19th June 2012**

Okay, well Jim hadn't meant for this to happen. Somehow when he and Spock were supposed to beam down to Earth they somehow ended up in the year 2012. He had been told countless times that the Transporter was playing up and they needed to get it repaired, but Kirk had been too rash for his own good and decided that it would be a good idea for him and Spock to go anyway.

Spock had at first refused – the logical thing to do in that situation.

Kirk, in the end, had ordered him to be beamed down with him and as Spock couldn't refuse and order he ended up accompanying him. When they beamed down where Starfleet Command was supposed to be and it wasn't there, Jim had received the raised brow from his first officer which was enough to put him on edge for the rest of the day.

Upon further investigation which included peering over someone's shoulder to try and see the date on the book, Jim had discovered that they had been beamed back into the past. After countless opinions from Spock, Jim had found somewhere to hide away for a while as he tried to think of something to do.

"They're going to notice your ears, Spock," Jim snapped back as he leaned against the brick wall. "It would be better if I was to go, but I have no idea what you're even trying to find."

They were hidden away down some dark alleyway and in all honestly Kirk didn't like it there. A sour smell hung in the air and got in through your mouth which made him feel uncomfortable. They were hidden away from sight behind some large bins and it was only a matter of time before someone found them there.

"Platinum, some titanium coils, lead-"

"Yes like I said, I have no idea what you're trying to find," Kirk responded irritably. "Why do you need all of that stuff anyway?"

Spock turned his eyes towards his captain as he sifted slightly on the cold ground. "If I could get a signal which would allow us to communicate with the Enterprise for just a moment it could be possible to find a way back into our own time."

Kirk gave an exasperated sigh before banging his head against the wall, quickly regretting that decision as it hurt quite a bit. "Well you can't just walk around looking like that. People will stare." They would stare at anyone who walked around wearing what they did.

Spock paused for a moment in thought before he turned back to Kirk again. "We could say that we are wearing something you humans call 'fancy dress'."

Kirk's brows shot into the air before he slowly nodded his head. Why hadn't that thought occurred to him before? But his attention was then grabbed by something else. "Hey, how do you know about that then?"

"I overheard, by accident of course-"

"Of course."

The Vulcan faltered for a moment before he continued, "I overheard Doctor McCoy talking about it with Mister Scott. Apparently it was something they both enjoyed doing as children."

A smile slipped onto Kirk's face as he held the precious image of Bones and Scotty running around in fancy dress in his mind. It was going to be something he was never going to forget for as long as he lived.

Pushing himself up, using the wall as a support, Kirk struggled to two feet before he self-consciously brushed the dirt from his trousers. If they were going to pass off as two people who were in fancy dress they needed to look the part. Being covered in dirt and grime was not going to help their situation any further. Eyes moving to Spock to see if he was doing the same, Kirk scowled slightly as he begrudgingly noticed his First Officer still looked immaculate. Though not saying anything, Jim finally straightened up before he strode from the alley way with purpose like he was supposed to be there.

* * *

**20th June 2012**

Their idea hadn't gone to plan. Somehow Kirk found himself in the police station after being arrested and having an argument with some shopkeeper about correct money. It wasn't Jim's fault that they changed the design of the coins in the last two hundred odd years before his birth. But they guy had called the police once Kirk may have accidently decided to threaten him with his phaser. Thankfully Spock wasn't around as he was in another shop trying to buy something else. Jim wasn't sure how he was supposed to contact his friend now and he had no one to call when he was offered his phone call.

At first he had considered trying his old home number to see if anyone was there, but in the end he decided against it. He wondered what his home in Iowa was like in the year 2012 and if the time came he may even decide to go for a visit.

After a long winded explanation that the phaser was part of his costume and he just lost his temper a little bit, the police had to let him go as the shopkeeper wasn't pressing charges, but not before he was made to sleep in one of their cells overnight.

He really didn't like that experience, being pushed into a confined space with an uncomfortable bed and a toilet in the corner of the room. Kirk supposed that he was only experiencing what everyone else who was held in his ship was going through. At least they had some decent lighting and a fairly comfortable place to sleep. Hell, they even got a proper toilet which wasn't crammed into the same room as them. If he honestly had the choice of past holding cells or future ones aboard a Starship he would defiantly pick the Starship ones.

Kirk could only be thankful when he was given back his phaser and communicator the following morning and so he forced a smile in the guy's direction before striding from the police station, pushing the doors with a little more force than was probably necessary. Eyes quickly adjusting to the light, Kirk looked around with a slight squint, almost falling down the stairs in the process. Now he had no idea where he even was or what Spock was. They were in a big place and it was almost going to be impossible to find his friend. However that thought was instantly gone from his mind as he noticed none other than Spock sitting in one of the benches opposite the police station.

Brow quirking into the air, Kirk wandered over towards the Vulcan with some bewilderment before he sat down in the seat beside him. "How did you find me?" He asked as he turned his head towards Spock.

"I saw you as you were being put into the back of the police vehicle," he responded. "It was only logical that they would take you to the nearest station and so using a map and the direction they appeared to be heading I worked out a perimeter where their destination could be. It was only a matter of time before I found the building and so I waited for you."

Nodding his head, Kirk smiled at Spock before he folded one leg over the other as he sat on the bench. "Do you mean to tell me you have been here all night?" He questioned with a slightly raised brow.

"Yes Captain," Spock responded almost instantly and he didn't even seem to be bothered about it.

Pausing in stunned silence for a moment, Kirk had to blink a few times to wake himself up before he finally stood turned his head towards the Vulcan. "Did you get any luck with those…things you needed?"

"No, sir."

"Don't call me sir or Captain, please. Just call me Jim, we're stranded in the past for god's sake and you're still being formal."

"Sorry…Jim."

"That's more like it."

Shooting a smile towards his friend, Jim pushed himself to his feet again before taking a look around his surroundings. There was busy road right in front of them and people rushed past on their usual mornings in the past. It made Kirk wonder what kind of things people used to do before Starfleet came about. He didn't even know if they had space travel in those days, let alone the knowledge of whole other worlds with inhabitants.

Sighing heavily again, Jim fell backwards into his seat again before kneading his temples with his fingers. "Well I don't know what to do," he grumbled with agitation. "Spock, please tell me that amazing brain of yours has some ideas about what needs to happen next."

Spock raised a brow in Jim's direction before he paused in thought for a moment as his human eyes looked around. "It would be most logical to find somewhere to stay," he responded with little pause. "We also need to find some of this modern day currency-"

"Oh yeah, and how do we suppose we do that?" Kirk cut in abruptly as his head snapped up. "I didn't take you for the stealing or begging type. Heck, I don't even know if you have the capability to grovel."

Kirk continued to glare at Spock, but all the Vulcan did in return was the give Jim a knowing look at say nothing. Kirk continued to stare, but after a while his glare started to lift as he finally understood was Spock was trying to get across. "No. N-O, do you understand me? There is no way in hell that I am going to do that. No, you better think of something else because there is no way that's happening."

* * *

**20th December 2012**

There was no other way.

Without much debate Spock's reasoning had come out on top and six months later Kirk found himself working in KFC serving people their stupid chicken. He never dreamt that he would be stuck serving people from the past their lunch, but they needed the money. Spock was also pitching in by working as an anonymous computer genius from home. People from all over would come to him with their computer problems and Spock would be able to sort them out.

He had mastered the past computers rather quickly and soon there was nothing he couldn't figure out. Kirk was still in shock that his First Officer had agreed to find some way to get money and his way defiantly seemed to be the better one. He was gaining more money in a few hours than Jim was getting in a whole week and it was rather annoying. But pitching together they had enough to buy food, clothes and essentials and eventually they had enough to buy their own place.

The money had also paid for the items Spock needed to contact the crew of the Enterprise. His device had worked and with a clear signal and his communicator they contacted their Starship three months after they went missing. It had been taken over by a Captain Mottey and instantly Kirk didn't like him. He seemed hesitant to want to get him and Spock back to their own time and Jim knew he wanted to keep the Enterprise for himself. Apparently most of his old crew had been re-assigned to different Starship's as well. Kirk was the only one who was keeping them tied to the Enterprise, but now he was gone they were being sent to other ships and that was something Jim didn't like at all.

According to the Enterprise's new chief engineer, there was no way they could beam them back to their own time. This lead to a rather loud argument between Jim and the new Captain that Scotty could have figured out a way to do it and him and Spock would already be standing back in the transporter room. But Captain Mottey instead there was no way he could do it and so Starfleet Command was involved.

Kirk explained everything to them, how he used the transporter when it was playing up and how they had been transported back to 2012. He explained how they were earning money to survive and how badly Jim really wanted to head back to his own time and take command of his ship again. Unfortunately his hopes were dashed as Starfleet Command came back with the bad news. There was indeed no way to bring them back and they were indeed stranded with no hope of return. Jim had shouted and protested about it, saying that his old crew would figure a way out, but indeed there was nothing to be done and so all communication with their own time was severed and Spock and Kirk were left to live their lives in the past.

It wasn't easy at first, there was little talk during the times the two were together and Kirk was constantly in a bad mood. However as the months past the two slowly began to connect again and Jim even started to enjoy himself. He went out to the bar in the late nights with his colleagues from KFC and they would have a few drinks together, they would talk and live the night away. During the days Kirk would head to work and Spock would confine himself to his computer screen. In the afternoons Kirk would return and he and Spock would spend time together discovering past things. They played 2D chess and Kirk even went out of his way to buy an Xbox and he would spend time playing on that.

Life was slowly turning out to be normal for the first time in his life and for one Jim was happy.

But it was on that cold winter's night that Jim found himself staring out of the window thinking about all his lost friends. He missed them, Bones, Chekov, Uhura, Sulu, Scotty and everyone else he had come to know. He missed walking onto the bridge of the Enterprise ever day waiting to find new worlds and new life. He missed his old life and he still desperately wanted to find a way back to his own time even after he had been told there was no way.

The thought of dying before he was even supposed to be born broke him and tears stung his eyes. He let them roll down his cheeks, the salty drops tumbling onto his lips where he would lick them away. He didn't even register Spock standing behind him.

"Jim?"

Quickly turning his head, Jim smiled sadly at his friend as he saw him standing there. His pointy ears hidden by his grown out and rather messy hair. His eyes wide with concern and one of his humorous t-shirts Jim made him wear hidden under a black jumper. At first glance he looked completely human, but when he turned his head you could see the pointy ears and when he spoke only logic came out and that was all Kirk had to remind himself of his old home.

His life as James T. Kirk, Captain of the U.S.S Enterprise.

* * *

**19th June 2013**

The sunlight filtered through the curtains exactly one year after the accident had occurred. It was that thin streak of light which woke James Kirk up that morning.

His eyes blinked open, but he quickly closed them again and rolled over onto his side with a loud groan. His bed was warm and comfortable and it held him in like a mother hugging her young child. He felt safe and secure in his bed and yet there was a nagging feeling in the back of his brain that he needed to get up that morning. It was their one year anniversary of being stuck on Earth and Jim wanted to get up and remember that day.

Rolling over again onto his back, Jim raised both hands to his face before pulling them down, his fingers playing with his slightly stubble he hadn't bothered to shave for a while. He sighed one last time before blinking open his eyes and staring up at the ceiling. Slowly they took in the swirled pattern and the cracks above his head before Jim slowly pushed himself away from the mattress with his elbows.

The bedroom door was ajar and sitting up fully Jim could make out the figure of Spock in the kitchen bending over a bowl of cereal. Jim smiled to himself as he saw the dark messy hair and the white t-shirt he was wearing. Jim made him wear that shirt, it seemed only right to make his friend wear humorous shirts about saving the world; after all they did save it multiple times in the future.

Slipping his feet from under his warm covers and placing them hesitantly on the cold wooden floor, a shiver ran up Kirk's spine. But deciding to ignore it, Jim swivelled his body round before using both hands to push himself up from the bed into a standing position. He wobbled slightly, closing his eyes for a moment before he finally opened them again. Sliding each foot into one of his slippers, Jim hid a yawn behind his hands before he stumbled from his room into the warm light of the sun filtering through the window.

His looked over at Spock, aware that he hadn't noticed his presence in the room yet. He was still shovelling cereal into his mouth from a spoon and one hand was constantly moving up to his messy hair before ruffling it up a little more. When he did so the point tips of his ears were on show and Jim could only smile at them. That was the only part of Spock which made him different from every other human. He had blood pumping through his body, never mind the fact it was a different colour. He breathed human air and he ate human food. Spock was truly more human the Vulcan even if he didn't want to admit it.

Leaning against the doorframe with a smile and folded arms, Jim watched as Spock raised his hand to his hair again before running his fingers through it once again to keep it from his face. "Looking good," he commented.

The sound of his voice made Spock turn his head towards him and there wasn't even a pause as a smile slipped onto his face and in that moment he looked more human than ever before.

* * *

**AN: **So yeah, this is a one-shot I decided to take upon myself to write thanks to a post made on Tumblr. That alone gave me muse for this and I do hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. To date this is my longest Star Trek piece of writing I have written in one go and I am very proud of that fact. Please make sure that you leave all kinds of wonderful words of advice for me and remember these words:

_Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Her five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before_


End file.
